Many Air India Pilots on hunger strike fall sick

Many Air India pilots are on an indefinite hunger strike for the past five days days. The pilots on hunger strike have fallen ill as the Air India Pilot’s strike enters the 52nd day on June 27.

After the de-recognition of the Indian Pilots’s Guild (IPG), it requested the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to intervene before it is too late. The IPG issued a statement on June 27, 2012 which said that Capt Manish Choudhry , Capt Yashima Singh and Capt Tejveer Singh were diagnosed with critically low blood glucose levels which can cause a hypoglycaemic shock resulting in brain damage.

Even Capt Hari Shankar was diagnosed with critically high ketone levels which indicates partial kidney failure. If this is left untreated this can even cause permanent kidney damage. The pilots criticised that the civil aviation minister Ajit Singh called a hunger strike a gimmick.

A marathon meeting was held by the deputy chief labour commissioner on June 26, 2012 to resolve the ongoing crisis. The statement from the IPG said that the ministry officials and the airline management are not at all keen on resolving the labour dispute and the first step to resolve any dispute is the commencement of negotiations.